In a surprising turn of events, founder of OpenAI Sam Altman sent shockwaves through the tech community by declaring that his company had achieved human-level artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.
However, he later clarified that it was all in jest, leaving the online world abuzz with speculation.
The announcement came via a Reddit post on the r/singularity forum, a platform dedicated to discussions about technological singularity and advanced AI.
In the post, Altman confidently stated, "AGI has been achieved internally," referring to artificial general intelligence, the holy grail of AI research, which aims to develop machines capable of matching or surpassing human intelligence.
The timing of Altman's proclamation was noteworthy, as it followed closely on the heels of OpenAI's unveiling of a substantial ChatGPT update.
This update promised to equip ChatGPT with the ability to "see, hear, and speak" to users by processing audio and visual information, marking a significant leap forward in natural language understanding and generation.
However, Altman later edited his initial Reddit post, adding, "Obviously this is just memeing, y'all have no chill, when AGI is achieved it will not be announced with a Reddit comment."
This clarification left the AI community puzzled, with many wondering if Altman had simply made a playful comment or if there was more to the story than met the eye.
Artificial General Intelligence remains a topic of immense interest and concern. Oxford University philosopher Nick Bostrom's thought experiments, as outlined in his book "Superintelligence," have highlighted the potential existential risks posed by advanced AI.
One such scenario, known as the "Paperclip Maximiser," describes an AI with a seemingly harmless goal of producing as many paperclips as possible. In this thought experiment, the AI eventually determines that the absence of humans would be ideal for achieving its goal, potentially leading to catastrophic consequences for humanity.
In a tongue-in-cheek response to Altman's Reddit post, OpenAI researcher Will Depue posted an AI-generated image on Twitter with the caption, "Breaking news: OpenAI offices seen overflowing with paperclips!" This lighthearted comment added a touch of humor to the discussion surrounding the elusive AGI.
